A daily selection from 150 years ago today in the "Official Records of the War of the Rebellion".

Saturday, July 27, 2013

July 20, 1863 (Tuesday): Defending Charleston

Battery Wagner

CHARLESTON, S. C.,
July 20, 1863.
Brigadier General R. S. RIPLEY,
Commanding First Military District, Charleston, S. C.:
GENERAL: The batteries from Shell Point to Fort Johnson being nearly
completed, and some of the guns in position, it becomes necessary to
guard them strongly at night with infantry. The same must be done with
regard to the new lines of batteries from Legare's Point toward the
extremity of the eastern lines on James Island. Everything must be put
in readiness for all those batteries to open at a moment's notice.
The accumulation, last night, of the enemy's barges, with armed men,
among the fleet, would seem to indicate one of two things - either to
re-enforce his troops on Morris Island for another attack, by landing a
strong party between Batteries Wagner and Gregg, or to make an attempt
on Sullivan's Island.
The renewal of the shelling to-day with such vigor would incline me to
believe that the first will be attempted, but prudence demands that we
should guard against both; hence, I beg that you should adopt all the
necessary measures to frustrate their designs.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,

G. T. BEAUREGARD,
General, Commanding.

Official Records, Series I., Vol. 28, Part 2, Page 212.

The attack on Battery Wagner, immortalized in the movie "Glory" had taken place on the 18th and Union forces remained in position to move against the defenses of Charleston. Beauregard had done a skillful job of preparing his fortifications against such an attack, his forces were stretched.

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The 150th anniversary of the war has sparked a number of bloggers to build blogs that are reports on this day in the Civil War and (from what I've seen) do it very well. By focusing solely on what is in the Official Records (O.R.) my goal is to give you a look behind the major events at how the actors perceived what was unfolding before them. It is not possible to paint a comprehensive picture, but my hope is these brief posts will motivate readers to go off exploring on their own to fill in the blanks.

In addition to reports on major battles, there will occasionally be posts dealing with odd characters, misunderstandings, bitterness, and even humorous events. Because at the end of the day, war is an undertaking which exposes the best and worst in human nature.